Plaiting-machine.



No. 672,887. Patented Apr. 30, |90I.

' H. S. BROWN.

PLAITING MACHINE.

(Application vled Dec. 28, 1900.)

No. 672.887.' Patented Apr. 30,|90|.

H. S. BROWN.

PLAITING MACHINE.

(Application led Dec. 26, 1900.) (llo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY s. BROWN, oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLAITING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 672,887, dated April 30, 1901.

' Application filed December 26, 1900. Serial No. 41,030. No model.)

To all whom t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, HENRY S. BROWN, a citizen of the United Sta tes,residing at New York,

A broken away to-better disclose the operative parts. Fig. is a vertical section on the line a a of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating the relative operation of the reeing-blades with respect to the reefmg-beds which I employ.

Similar reference numerals denote like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanical structures of that class commonly known as plaiting-machines, and particularly to plaiting-machines capable of beingV utilized in the production of so-called accordion-plaiting, as by folding or reefing flexible material, such as fabrics, paper, and the like.

The object of thisinvention is to provide a plaiting-machine of the character above indicated which shall be simple, cheap, and novelr as regards construction, which shall embody efcient reeflng-beds for engagement of the reeng-blades employed in the operation of the machineand novel means for 'actuating the reciting-blades employed, and which shall possess certain well-defined advantages over prior analogous structures.

The invention consists in the employment of certain novelly-formed parts, in the novel disposition and arrangement of the various parts, in certain combinations of the latter, and in certain details of construction, all of which will be specifically referred to hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings, 2 2' represent opposing upright frame members tied by the rod 2" and by other means, as will hereinafter appear.

3 isv the main shaft, journaled in the frame members 2 2', and 3' 3" are pinions mounted on said shaft and meshing at all times, respectively, with the spur-wheels 4. 4'.

5 5 are blade-backs, the one carrying a downwardly-extending blade 6 and the other an upwardly-extending blade 6'. These blades are mounted to oscillate or rock, the one at the free ends of the opposing radial arms '7 7', fulcrumed, respectively, at 8 8',-and the other at the free-ends of the opposing radial arms 9 9', fulcrumed, respectively, at l0 l0'. The blades 6 6' are capable of being moved edgewise toward and away from each other as well as being oscillated or rocked, as above stated.

An essential feature of my invention is the employment, in conjunction with reengblades adapted to at times overlap or project one beyond the other at the free edges thereof, of reeling-beds, one for engagement of Aeach of said reefing-blades and adapted to Ylimit the movement thereof in one direction in the practical operation of the machine, the

said reefng-bcds being located, respectively, in the paths of said blades in their movements toward and from each other. To accomplish this end, I provide the blades 6 6' each with a series of open slots or kerfs- 9" 10" along its free edge and adjust said blades so that the kerfs of one blade will not register or aline with the kerfs in the opposite blade. I further arrange the reeflng-beds both in the paths along which the blades 6 6' travel in their movements toward and from each other, the upper' bed being arranged for cooperation with the blade 6' and serving to limit its movement in the direction of blade 6 and the lower bed being arranged for cooperation with the blade 6 and serving to limit the movement thereof in the direction of the blade 6'.

As here shown, the reeiing-beds which I employ comprise the one parallel frame-pieces 11 1l', firmly connected at their ends by the offsets 12 12' of the opposing radial arms 13 18', fulcrumed, respectively, at 14 14', and the other like frame-pieces 11"12",rmly connected at their ends by the offsets 15"16"of the opposing radial arms 15 15', fulcrumed, respectively, at 16 16', Figs. 4t and 5.

The frame portions of the respective reef- IOO ing-beds carry each a series of transverselyarranged reeling-bars 13" 14, those provided for one of said beds being firmly held in position by the frame-pieces thereof and being spaced out of alinement with the kerfs of the blade coperating with such bed and in alinement with the kerfs of the opposite blade, and the reeling-bars provided for the opposite bed are firmly held in position by the frame-pieces thereof and are also spaced out of alinement with the kerfs of the blade cooperating with such bed and in alinement with the kerfs of the opposite blade.

IVhen desired for service, both of the reefing-beds are held firmly in position, as by locking their cooperating radial arms against movement in any well-known lnanner, as indicated at the points 17 17 18 18. It will here be observed that this construction permits adjustment of either reeflng-bed regularly toward or away from the other, to facilitate which the adjusting-screws 19 19' are provided. It will also be observed that either end of either of the reefing-beds may be adjusted toward or away from the corresponding end of the other reeling-bed, as illustrated in Fig. 3, slight play being left at the fulcru ms of the respective radial arms carrying said beds, and when the reeiing-beds are adjusted as indicated in Fig. 3 each plait of the product of the machine will be tapering in form, or wider at one end than at the other, which is at times desirable.

Attention is here called to the fact that the blades which I employ are,aside from the question of gravity, which may be taken into consideration in connection with the upper blade, yieldingly held each to engagement with its coperating reefing-bed by means of a suitable connection or connections 2O 20', here shown in the form of a spiral spring and as yieldingly tying together the two blades. If desired, any approved means may be employed for adjusting the tension of said connections.

In the practical operation of the machine blade 6 is elevated against the tension of the connections 20 20 and the gravity of said blade and its cooperating parts, and when released at the limit of its upward travel it descends to engagement with its cooperating reeing-bed by reason of its own gravity, the gravity of its cooperating parts, and the tension of the connections 2O 20', and the blade 6 is urged downward against the tension of said connections; but here the gravity of said blade and its cooperating parts will not aid in the return movement thereof, and for this reason I employ the compensating connections 21 21', here shown in the form of a spiral spring and as yieldingly tying together said blade and the reefing-bed coperating therewith.

For actuating the blades 6 6 to cause them to move alternately away from each other I employ the links 22 22,each provided with a slotlike opening and both engaging at the openings therein a projection 23, fixed in the spurwheel il. Link 22 is pivotally connected with the radial arm 20" and depends therefrom, the said arm projecting outward from the blade-back 5, and link 22 is pivotally connected with the radial arm 21" and extends upwardly therefrom, the said radial arm projecting outward from the blade-back 5. The foregoing parts are duplicated at the opposite side of the machine and denoted by the numerals 24, 24.', 24, 23, and 23". When motion is imparted to the shaft 3, so as to turn the spur-wheels 4 4, which are adjusted so that the projections 23 24" will stand uniformly opposite each other in the direction indicated by the arrow 25 in Fig. 5, the said projections before respectively reaching the Vertical center lines of the wheels 4 4' will respectively engage the uppcrends of the slotlike openings in the links 22 24 and through the medium of said links elevate the blade G, and when the said projections reach a point at the opposite side of the wheels 4 1i they respectively engage the lower ends ofthe slotlike openings in the links 22 24 and depress the blade 6. During this alternate movement of the blades f3 (5 and while one of said blades is being moved away from the other the latteris rocked or oscillated backward in a manner to reverse the overlapping relation of said blades on the return of the blade thus moved away to engagement with its cooperating reefing-bed. The forward rocking movements of the blades 6 6' are imparted alternately thereto by means of the same mechanismthat is, the link connections and radial arms projecting forwardly from the blade-backs utilized in moving said blades one away from the other; but the rearward rocking movements of said blades are eected by means of the cams 26 26, rotating one with each of the spur-wheels 4 4' and arranged oppositely to each other, the said cams being duly timed to alternately engage and move backward one the arm 27, projecting downwardly from the blade-back 5, and the other the arm 27', eX- tending upwardly from the blade-back 5', and thus correspondingly rock said blades rearwardly. At all times the forward rocking movement of the forwardly-lapping blade is limited by one or the other of the cams 26 26 or by the front frame-piece of one of the reefing-beds, as desired, and the rearwardlylapping blade is held againstforward rocking movement by its engagement with the opposite blade, and during the movement of one of said blades away from the other the forwardly-lapping blade may have a sliding engagement with said frame-piece of the reefing-bed and the rearwardly-lapping blade may have a sliding engagement with said forwardly-lapping blade.

Any approved means may be employed whereby power and motion may be imparted to the main shaft 3, as the Wheel 28, provided with the handle 28.

The operation of the machine will be ap- IOO parent from the foregoing description thereof, it being necessary only to state that the material to be reefed or plaited is inserted between the front frame-pieces of the restingbeds and grasped by one of the blades 6 6 and that the folding or reeting of the material is eected at the reefing-bars 13" 14".

It will be seen that my improved plaitingmachine is well adapted for the purpose for which it is designed and, further, that the same may be modified to some extent without material departure from the spirit and principle of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine of the class herein described comprising a pair of reefing-blades movable edgewise toward and away from each other, adapted to overlap each other at the free edges thereof, and each provided along its free edge with a series of kerfs, the kerfs of one blade being out of alinement with the kerfs of the other blade; reeling-beds located in the paths traversed by said blades in their movements toward and from each other, and each provided With a series of suitably-spaced reeling-bars, the bars of one bed registering only with the kerfs in one of said blades, and the bars of the other bed registering only with the kei-fs in the other blade, and means for thus moving said blades.

2. A machine of the class herein described comprising a pair of reeug-blades movable edgewise each toward and away from the other, and each provided along its free edge with a series of kerfs, the kerfseof one blade being out of alinement with the kerfs of the other blade; reeting-beds located in the paths traversed by said blades in their-movements toward and from each other, each admitting of variable adjustment along said bladepaths, and each provided with a series of suitably-spaced reeting-bars, the bars of one bed registering only with the kerfs in one of rsaid blades, and the bars of the other bed reeng-blades arranged to alternately lap each beyond the other at the free edges thereof, and thereat provided with kerfs out of alinement as regards the respective blades; a pair of reeng-beds located respectively in the paths traversed by said blades, and each provided with a series of suitably-spaced reefing-bars, the bars of the said beds registering respectively with only one of said blades and serving to limit the direct movement of the other blade, and whereby material may be reefed or folded directly on said bars; and means for duly moving said blades.

HENRY S. BROWN. Witnesses:

v ALBERT C. TANNER,

Tnos. F. Ross. 

